1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a head shifting device and more particularly to a head shifting device highly suited to a recording or reproducing apparatus for recording or reproducing information on or from a record bearing medium by shifting a recording or reproducing head to a selected position on the record bearing medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been known various, recording or reproducing apparatuses of the kind for recording or reproducing information on or from record bearing media such as rotary magnetic discs. In apparatus of this kind, a recording or reproducing position is shiftable by moving a transducing element such as a magnetic head relative to a record bearing medium. Arrangement to accomplish the shift of the recording or reproducing position, i.e. a head shifting operation, at a high speed with less energy greatly contributes to reduction either in the access time of the head required in carrying out information recording or reproduction or in the size of the apparatus and particularly that of a drive source. For that purpose, it is necessary to lessen the inertia of moving parts and their friction. To reduce the friction of the moving parts for that purpose, it has been the practice to use roller members for moving and guiding parts to smoothen the movement of the head carriage member.
In the case of a portable recording or reproducing apparatus, the apparatus tends to experience vibrations and shocks inflicted thereon during transportation. Then, such vibrations and shocks tend to affect the head carriage member and particularly the head carriage member having such a smoothening arrangement. Such vibrations tend to damage the head or the head positioning parts which would result in degraded recording or reproducing performance, tracking error of the head and the like.